Blogs You Should Be Reading
Did you see the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary show? Granted, it was raunchy (in prime time, no less). The NBC censors must have decided to give Lorne Michaels a pass. I'll admit, I’m a crybaby. I cried when Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter sang Homeward Bound. I dabbed my eyes when Adam Sandler sang his funny and sweetly sad ode to SNL. And I couldn’t keep it together when Paul McCartney wonderfully warbled, “And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make.” I loved every second I wiped away those nostalgic tears. I was all verklempt. Now back to our regularly scheduled material…
Several years ago, I wrote a post about excellent fundraising blogs. It’s time for a review/update. The longer I’m in this arena, the more I am drilling down on the blogs that make me think and provide great content. Many of the writers I mentioned back then, still have my attention.
I suggest these blogs to you – clergy and laity – because you can learn a lot about what “good” fundraising looks like from them. What you learn through them can, more often than not, be translated for the work of the church.
In no particular order, here are the top blogs that I try to keep up with each week:
Jeff Brooks – Future Fundraising Now: Don’t ask me how he does it, but Jeff puts out a post three days a week. The depth of his knowledge is impressive. And – bonus – he’s very practical. For example, today’s post is Should Big Donors Get Better Thanking? (spoiler alert…the answer is “no” – but you should find out why).
Pamela Grow – The Grow Report: I’ve been a big fan of Pamela’s work for years. Her blog comes out once a week on Thursdays. In addition, she also hosts Motivate Mondays which is a thirty-minute webinar. I’ve learned a lot from her.
Vu Le – Non-Profit AF: Half the time I read Vu, I don't agree with him. He's the agitator that every profession needs. He gets me to think. For example, his latest post (and sometimes the word “rant” is a more apt description) is Dear Funders: Your Endowments will be Worthless in a Fascist State. Fortunately, Vu has a great sense of humor. His posts come out on Tuesdays.
Steven Screen & Jim Shapiro – The Better Fundraising Blog: Every Friday, a new fundraising graphic, video, podcast, or free resource comes out that helps make my work better.
Non-Profit Pro: This publication is more like a newsletter than a regular blog and focuses on all aspects of nonprofit work. The information is invaluable. For instance, one of today’s articles is, How Nonprofits Can Protect Financial Stability Amid Federal Funding Changes.
Joe Park – Horizons Stewardship: I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to Horizons Stewardship (full disclosure, I’m a Horizons consultant). This is the only faith-based blog on this list (save for Inspiring Generosity!). Joe’s posts come out periodically and are chock-full of good stuff. Take a look at this recent post, Emerging Trends in Nonprofit Fundraising (hint – this can impact how the church does its work too).
And there you have it. I subscribe to a lot more blogs and newsletters, but these are the ones that rise to the top. Pick one or two to follow and see if you don’t become more comfortable talking about raising money, thanking people more, and discovering what should have you outraged about how money is or isn’t distributed.
Let me know which are your favorites – or which ones I should have on my next list.
Happy reading.
Photo credit: Suzy Hazelwood@ pexels.com
Cesie Delve Scheuermann (pronounced “CC Delv Sherman,” yes, really) is a Stewardship Consultant for the OR-ID Annual Conference. She is also a Senior Ministry Strategist with Horizons Stewardship. For 25 years, while working as a volunteer and part-time consultant, she has helped raise over three million dollars for numerous churches and non-profit organizations.
You can reach Cesie at inspiringgenerosity@gmail.com, at CesieScheuermann.com, or at cesieds@horizons.net. Want to schedule a meeting? She’s got you covered! She knows that most of the sketches on the SNL special are not appropriate for a family blog like this. So instead, she encourages you to watch Steve Martin’s opening monologue.
Schedule a meeting now.
If someone has forwarded this to you and you would like to subscribe to "Inspiring Generosity," click here. Miss an issue? Click here.